Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to retire with cramp during his first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday, handing Portugal’s Nuno Borges a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 lead and a victory.
The 25-year-old Canadian, who reached the US Open semifinals last year, was hoping to carry that momentum into the 2026 season. However, discomfort in his upper left leg slowed him down, prompting a medical timeout late in the third set and further treatment before the fourth. After just two points in the fourth set, Auger-Aliassime was unable to continue.
“I’m okay, but I just started cramping at the start of the third set. It became very difficult to be competitive at this level. I tried for a set, but it wasn’t possible today,” the Canadian said after the game.
Meanwhile, the home favourite Alex de Minaur wasted little time in reaching the second round as the world No. 6 raced to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 triumph against Mackenzie McDonald inside Rod Laver Arena.
De Minaur reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in 2025. His next opponent at this year’s edition of his home major will be Hamad Medjedovic, who held off Mariano Navone for a 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 first-round win.
Elsewhere, in the women’s singles game, Auger-Aliassime’s fellow countrywoman Jessica Pegula cruised past Anastasia Zakharova 6-2, 6-1 in 66 minutes to reach the second round in Melbourne, WTA reports.
Pegula started her Grand Slam season right away, establishing the pace for a match where she had break points in all eight of Zakharova’s service games.
Zakharova, who is ranked No. 105 in the PIF WTA Rankings, successfully defended her serve twice against Pegula in the first set. Trailing 5-1, she saved three set points during a five-deuce game, featuring a notable rally where Pegula hit a ball around the post to stay in the point, before Zakharova confidently finished with a winner into the open court.
Pegula finished the set decisively in the following game and maintained her lead, losing only one more game afterwards before securing the victory with a precise backhand down the line.
The victory advances her to the Round of 64, where she will compete against her compatriot and doubles partner, McCartney Kessler. Pegula holds a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head record, having defeated Kessler in straight sets in last year’s Austin final.
–IANS
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